The Music of Love: A Benedict Cumberbatch FanFic
by Zgam23
Summary: A developing relationship between Benedict Cumberbatch and an American named Maggie.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun**

"Grab the purple bag in the bedroom," I yelled to my sister on my way up the stairs in my apartment. "Jantel is out front to take us to the airport." I hopped across the living room, attempting to put my shoe on as I grabbed my purse and scanned the room for anything else I could have forgotten.

"Oh and don't forget your passport! Okay Beth?" Hearing no response, I ran to my bedroom only to find it empty. "Beth?" I called to the hallway. Still no answer. I ran through my apartment, not finding my younger sister, but picking up many almost forgotten essentials: headphones, socks, and my kindle charger.

"BETH!" I yelled one more time but the apartment remains empty. I sighed, and headed towards the door to see if she was outside.

" _Sunday Morning Rain is falling. Steal some covers, share some…"_ The sound of my ringtone was muffled by the millions of things in my purse. I rummaged through it quickly to answer the call. "Hello?"

"Maggie! Where are you? We are sitting in the car waiting for you! Our flight leaves in 3 hours! And it takes…" my sister continued to scold my lateness before I interrupted her.

"I'm sorry! I thought you were inside! I've been calling your name for ages!" Blushing, I rushed out my apartment door and down the spiral staircase. I pushed open the building door and the humid, summer heat enveloped my body. I rushed to Janel's white car and slid into the backseat. I was instantly greeted by loud music and squealing.

"GIRLS' TRIP!" Jantel squealed. I squealed back to my best friend and grabbed my sister's shoulder. We all squealed again as Jantel pulled away from my Main Street apartment, almost hitting a grey mini-van. "Oops." She shrugged and sheepishly waved at the angry soccer mom she almost hit.

A laugh escaped my lips as I laid back against the cool leather seat. I checked my purse one last time, making sure I had my passport, cellphone, and wallet. In other words, all the essentials. Once I saw they are all there I got comfortable for the hour ride to the airport. Jantel and Beth argued in the front seat about who should be in control of the radio.

"Chris Brown!" Jantel demanded. "I am driving, and I need his sexy voice to keep me calm and focused on the road."

"Focused on the road? We all know you'll be daydreaming about his body and get all into the music. We'll end up in a ditch before we are out of town!" Beth said, furrowing her brow in Jantel's direction.

"My cars, my rules." Jantel said with a smirk.

"My graduation trip, my rules! I only get one graduation trip in my life, so I'm picking the music." Beth connected her phone to the radio and the sultry voice of Frank Sinatra filled the car.

"Fine." Jantel rolled her eyes and sighed, but didn't argue anymore. I chuckled to myself, shaking my head at the two girls in front of me. Even though their current argument didn't show it, I was so glad that my best friend and little sister got along as well as they did.

My little sister Beth was 4 years younger than me, so it wasn't expected that we would share too many common acquaintances. When we were younger, however, my best friend had stayed with us part time when her mom had to work late nights. Jantel became like our 3rd sister. As we had grown older we had found different interests, but had always stayed close. Jantel and I both went to school to become Elementary School teachers and had graduated a year ago. We were lucky enough to get jobs at the same school and both taught 5th grade. Beth, on the other hand, had no clue what she wanted to do with her life except that she didn't want to work with children. Jantel and Beth were free-spirited and artistic, while I was more focused on keeping things organized and structured. Even with all our differences, we were as close as three girls could be.

" _All that bullshit's for the birds. You ain't nothin but a vulture."_ Suddenly, I was jarred from my trip down memory lane by a very dramatic change of music.

"Man, Frank really changed his sound in the last few years of his career." I retorted from the backseat. Beth snorted, chuckling to herself.

"You have Chris Brown on your iPhone? After all these years, I have finally rubbed off on you! Oh, thank the Lord!" Jantel exclaimed, throwing a hand in the air in celebration.

"Keep your hands on the wheel! I knew Maggie should have drove!" Beth exclaimed, hitting Jantel's arm gently.

"You will be fine. See, both hands on the wheel. 10 and 2, baby!" Jantel said.

"You both are ridiculous." Leaning forward, I looked at them both. "Why am I going overseas with either of you?"

"Who else would provide you with this much entertainment? You can thank us later." Beth said, smirking over her shoulder.

Giggling and shaking my head at her, I relaxed into my seat. We were finally on our way. I had been planning this for over two years. I was definitely joking about doubting this trip. I knew that when my little sister graduated college I wanted to make a big deal about it. We had always talked about visiting Europe together, and I felt that there was no better reason to do so than celebrating her graduation.

When my best friend of 23 years heard of this scheduled vacation, she made it clear that there was no way we were going without her. So, the trip was planned, thought through, and organized for the past year (by me, of course) and it was finally time for it to happen.

I took a deep breath. It was time to unwind. I had 10 days of Paris, London, sister, best friend, and no work. I couldn't think of a better start to my summer break.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Come Fly With Me**

"Champagne!" Jantel said, sipping the drink in front of her as the plane hummed underneath us. We were 8 hours into our overseas flight and Jantel was 3 drinks in. I shook my head at her and went back to the book in front of me. When school is in session I never get a chance to read, so when summer break happens I try to read as much as possible. Jantel shook her head back at me.

"I can't believe you are reading. You literally teach reading to 5th graders from August to June. If I were you, I wouldn't want to look at a book for at least a month. I'm so glad I teach Social Studies." She said, taking another drink.

"You do realize we are heading to some of the most historical sites in all of the world, right?" I said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I teach American History, and I am currently getting as far away American History as I've ever been. I'm a happy girl." Jantel looked away from me, signaling the end of the conversation, and turned her attention to Beth. "So, how is Mark? Is he excited about seeing you?" A smile crept across my little sister's face as she looked up from her phone.

"He is wonderful. Perfect, handsome, amazing, and whatever other words that mean just plain great." Beth beamed as she spoke of her long-term boyfriend. "The internship has kept him busy, but he will be done when we arrive in London. Then he will be bumming around with us" This trip had multiple motives because my sister's boyfriend was in London doing an internship. We had made plans to bring him back to America with us. I knew that she would be so excited to see him, and honestly so would I. Beth and Mark had been together since they were sophomores in high school. They had broken up for a year in college before getting back together. He was essentially a part of the family already.

Beth continued to talk about Mark to Jantel as my thoughts wandered to my own dating life. I had been single for the past two and a half years. My last relationship had been, for the lack of a better word, painful.

It was the classic tale of romance gone bad. Best friend turned high school sweetheart, he and I had tiptoed and played around the idea for years. It wasn't until college came that we finally took the steps into a relationship. It had been a whirlwind. His touch, kiss, and presence had made me weak at the knees. I did everything he wanted, and he became the focus of everything I did and wanted. The boy of my childish fantasies had become my first love.

Sadly, all good things come to an end. Four years into our romance, he revealed his true colours. One of his fellow physics students, a woman whose name I do not care to remember, eventually caught the snake's eye.

There were obvious warning signs. Late night study sessions, forgotten promises, and the ever stereotypical strange woman's clothes in his dorm room that "had to have been mine." It was not my best moment when I went to see him, to make up after a dramatic fight and found him in her arms on the small twin bed. I'm not proud of the actions that followed: screaming, crying, throwing his clothes out my dorm window, and keying his car. However, I recovered eventually, even though it took the better part of the school year. Not to mention lots of drinks with Jantel.

After time had passed, I found it was easier to focus on my job and do my best for my students as a single woman. Yeah, it could be lonely, but you learn to manage. This trip had taken a lot of my time to plan, so I just focused on that instead of my lack of a love life.

"Mags?" Beth said with slight concern. "What's wrong?" I realized my face had contorted to a frown as I relived treacherous times from my past. I knew that my little sister always felt guilty when she gushed about her love life. She was constantly concerned that it was drive me to depression if she was in love and I was not. I have assured her of my contentment in life, but it never worked. I quickly gave her a smile.

"I'm fine! Just tired of this darn seat!" I wiggled around, attempting to get some feeling back into my rear end.

"Just a few hours left, and then we will be staring at the Eiffel Tower!"

* * *

By the time we arrived in Paris, it was 10am Paris time. However, I had barely slept. I'm not sure if I was restless, uncomfortable, or excited but sleep just kept eluding me. I could tell that I was not the only one struggling as I watched Jantel and Beth shuffling next to me through the airport.

"Why did we say we were going to sleep on the plane and start sightseeing the minute we got here? That was a horrible idea." Beth said rubbing her eyes.

"Don't look at me. We know this has Little Miss Organized and Ambitious written all over it." Jantel sneered at me.

"Oh shut it." I mumbled, too tired to come up with a witty and intellectual come back. We dragged ourselves through the airport and retrieved our luggage. We made our way through the crowds of people, making our way through the double doors that would open into the streets of Paris.

When we finally made it, we looked out into the city of Paris. A smile crept across my face, one that I could tell was spreading the the cheeks of my best friend and sister. I spoke quietly, as not to disturb the moment we had looked forward to for so long. "We finally made it." And I knew, the next 5 days were going to be some of the best in my life.

* * *

I tossed and turned in the strange Parisian bed. Even though this was my last night in it, I was sure it had gotten more and more uncomfortable the more I had slept in it. Our time in Paris had been an absolute dream. We had shopped, eaten, and experienced Paris to our heart's content. As we ended our time in a small Parisian restaurant near our hotel, I knew we all were wishing we had just planned to spend all 10 days in Paris. However, the trip was already planned and London was calling us away.

We had packed quickly hours earlier, hoping to take the extra time saying goodbye to our home away from home in Paris. And we had. I had begrudgingly made my way to bed at midnight, leaving Jantel with a few Parisian friends we had made, so I would have some sense of things when we traveled in the morning. Unfortunately, my mind just seemed unable to rest. I was hoping that Beth, who had left earlier in the evening to phone Mark, would have enough sense for the both of us the next day. I grabbed my cell phone and checked the time.

 _01:37_

I sighed and sat up. I saw my sister sleeping soundly, but there was no Jantel sleeping on the couch. I panicked, I had left her downstairs hours nearly 2 hours ago! I had just assumed she had come up when I was dozing off. Snatching the phone off the bed side table I went to google "how to alert the police in Paris," but saw a text message from her that I had previously missed.

 _Out w/ Henri. :D Don't wait up._

I rolled my eyes. Henri had been a waiter we had met on our first day. Jantel was adamant about having a Parisian fling and decided Henri was hot enough to do. Literally. She had been spending late evenings with him. I hadn't minded, I enjoyed having the time with Beth, especially before we were joined by Mark in London.

I quietly grabbed my headphones and plugged them into my phone. I knew sleep wasn't coming easily, so I thought a little Netflix might help. I had absolutely no clue what to watch, so I posted on Facebook to get some suggestions.

 _ **Maggie Korwin**_ _: Can't Sleep. Anyone have any Netflix suggestions to keep me occupied?_

 _ **Greg Jones:**_ _Check out Chopped. It's my favorite show. Plus it can help you with your cooking skills. HAHA_

 _ **Maggie Korwin:**_ _K Not funny._

 _ **Ginny Kirk:**_ _Every since Evelyn came, all I watch is cartoons. If you get real desperate you can check out Hotel Transylvania 2, it was a hit in my house._

 _ **Abigail Brown:**_ _Check out Sherlock. I know you. You will love it. Thank me later. Plus the guy who plays Sherlock screams your type._

 _Sherlock? I do love a good mystery._ I thought to myself, and typed it into the search bar. I clicked the first option, seeing two men looking quite solemn. _A Study in Pink._ I clicked the first episode and it started. I saw the episode was 90 minutes long and realized I would never be able to stay awake that long. _I'll just watch the first 30 minutes, then I can watch the rest tomorrow._

* * *

Jantel burst through the door causing me to jump a full foot off the couch.

"Where have you been?" I whispered to her just as she whisper/shouted to me "Why are awake?"

"I was with Henri! I texted you. He wanted to give me a proper Parisian goodbye!" She said with a smirk. I decided not to ask what a proper Parisian goodbye was because I really didn't want to know what my best friend had been doing for the past 3 hours. The backwards shirt told me plenty.

"I was watching something on Netflix. Apparently I lost track of time!" I shrugged at her.

"Must be a good show. What was it?" Jantel whispered as she made her way to her suitcase to change clothes.

"Sherlock." I said. I looked down at the screen and realized I only had about 5 minutes left. _That was a really fast 90 minute show!_ I thought to myself. I had been enthralled with every action and movement of the characters that I hadn't realized the time had gone by so quickly. Not to mention, Abigail had definitely been right about the guy who played Sherlock. He was the actual definition of what my type was. Getting to stare at him during the show definitely added to the appeal of watching  Sherlock.

"I've heard of that! Any good?" She said, heading into the bathroom.

"Yeah." My answer was short and quick so that I could finish the episode before she came out. I watched as John and Sherlock discussed the shooting at the end of the episode. I giggled at their banter back and forth about the cabbie and giggling at a crime scene.

"It must be pretty good to have you that captivated." Jantel said looking over my phone. I hadn't even realized that she had come out of the bathroom. "Who is that handsome creature?" She said eying the screen.

"Sherlock? Benedict Cumberbatch. The guy in the Star Trek movie, and that one movie that was nominated for an Oscar. Uh… Imitation Game." I said turning off my phone.

"Oh yeahhh. The guy with the funny name." She laid on the bed as I pulled the covers back on my body. "MMm. You know how I like my men tall." I laugh, shaking my head at her comments.

"You know, he looks exactly like the type of guy you would date." She said as she snuggled into bed. I chuckled to myself, surprised that I apparently had such an obviously type of man. As Jantel began to doze off, I stared at my iPhone screen for a bit longer, gazing at the paused image of Sherlock and Watson. _At least my type is pretty damn hot._ I think to myself. I shut off the screen with a smile on my face. Who doesn't like going to sleep with a nice looking man on your mind?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: There She Goes**

"There she goessss…" Jantel sang as we walked through London. She grabbed my hand, twirling around. "There she goes againnnn." She skipped and twirled in front of me, throwing her arms into the London sky.

"Remember in Parent Trap when she come to London to meet her mom? They play this song! I am now in London, singing the same song from my favorite movie. My life is now complete. I can die happy." She stopped, leaned against a tree we were passing and dramatically died against it.

"Oh man. She's dead, how will men all over the world survive?" I said with the same theatrics.

"They won't." She responded dryly, then laughed. "Girl, speaking of men- we need to find you one."

"Ha," I rolled my eyes. "I'm good."

"It's been too long since Eli. You gotta get back out there. Dating a real man is way different than a college man. I'm telling you right now, you will appreciate the difference." She said doing an over exaggerated wink.

"Oh good Lord, Jantel. Besides, you know as well as I do that I have no time for a relationship. I'm literally at school everyday until 5:30. Weekends I have to coach the debate and academic teams and I teach Sunday School, too. Then on-"

"You know that you don't have to do all of that, right?" Jantel interrupted, eyeing me sideways with a half cocked eyebrow.

"Yes, but I enjoy doing 'all that'," I replied curtly, wanting nothing more than to end this conversation. This is a constant battle that we have. She would always say I was working either too much, too hard, or too long. I knew she was right, but I didn't feel like admitting it. Instead I walked along quietly, awaiting a new conversation topic.

Jantel apparently got the hint because we fell into stride, walking silently. We rounded a corner and in front of us was a quaint London street with a few scattered shops. I strained my neck to find the restaurant we were meeting Mark and Beth in. Apparently it was a favorite of Mark's during his internship. He had ranted and raved about it to Beth, so we agreed to meet there.

We had arrived in London late the night before. It had killed Beth to not see Mark immediately, but they had waited to meet early that morning. We gave them a few hours to be alone before we invaded their time together.

"There it is!" Jantel said, directing me to the left and heading towards a grey building. I started to follow her, but something caught my attention. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the sign for a small, brick cafe. " _Lucille's"_ the sign read. I peered in the window and saw a dark, cozy looking coffee shop.

"Come on!" I felt a tug on my arm as Jantel drug me away from the window of Lucille's. "We are going to be late!" I sighed and followed after her, making a mental note that my time in Europe couldn't end before I visited Lucille's.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't feel ditched?" Beth said with concern. "I can stay… seriously."

"So can I!" Jantel said. "I don't even really like Derrik that much." Jantel nervously chattered, clearly lying.

"Ladies. Ladies. You do not have to babysit me! I am a grown ass woman. Beth, Mark's planned an amazing dinner for you and you would be crazy to miss it. Jantel, Derrik was hot, of course you like him that much and I would hate if you missed out on your London fling for me. Besides, now I can hold this over all your heads." I smirked. "I'm serious though, go have fun ladies! I'm not feeling rejected in anyway."

"Well, if you are a-hundred percent sure…"

"Well, maybe ninety-nine percent, you owe me one… now go." I sent them out the door with a smile. I leaned back on the hotel bed and looked around the room. _What to do, what to do?_ I pondered. I checked the time.

 _5:56 pm._

I stretched my legs in front of me, biting down on my bottom lip, what I always do when I'm thinking. Suddenly, I knew exactly what to do. I grabbed my purse, and the book I was reading.

 _Me Before You_

Before I knew it, my feet were taking me to Lucille's. When I finally arrived in front of the charming, brick building, I stood outside apprehensively staring at the door. It flew open before I could make my mind up and I grabbed the edge as the person in front of me exited on to the street.

The smell of vanilla and coffee hit my nose as I made my way inside. I smiled at the scent, it being one of my favorites, and went to the counter. I ordered a simple drink, and made my way to a large brown chair in the corner. I eyed the coffee shop patrons and realized I was one of about 5. There was a group of three working at laptops, an older gentleman reading a newspaper, and a woman about my age drinking a coffee. My body relaxed into the chair as I tucked my feet under my body.

I was glad that no one seemed to be paying attention to me. Opening my book, I immediately got lost in the story of Louisa for the millionth time. This book had always been one of my favorites. Reading the story of a girl searching for something in her life resonated so strongly with the search for something in my own. Turning through the story, emotions flew through me as if I was on a roller coaster. Every word lept off the pages and into my soul.

It was nearly an hour later before I looked up again. My foot had fallen asleep from the weird angle it had been positioned in under my hip. Surprisingly, the coffee shop was emptier than it had been when I first arrived. The girl and the group of three students had left, leaving the older gentlemen and I alone. I saw him begin to pack up his things, and I nervously looked around. Were they closing? Did I need to leave?

I stretched my legs out before me, stretching my neck and back as well. Suddenly I was made aware of the sound of rain and the droplets hitting the window across from me. Relief washed over me because I had beaten the rain, but also because I knew I could stay in the coffee shop a bit longer with reason. About the time I returned to the world of Will and Lou, I heard the door open and saw a man enter, covering his head from the rain. Pleased, I was, to no longer be the sole customer, I focused my attention on the story enfolding before me.

I was unconsciously aware that the man had taken a seat diagonal from my comfy chair, but I paid no mind to him. The story had captured my attention far more than the going-ons in a café. Even though I had read this book many times, the story was one that affected me like none other. The developing relationship, the heartbreak, and the love always enthralled me. As Louisa poured her heart out to Will, only to be rejected I felt a tear slide down my face. Quickly, I wiped it away, embarrassed by my emotional reaction in public. As I regained my composure, a voice interrupted me.

"That must be quite a book." A male voice spoke, breaking me from my trance.

"Hmmm?" I questioned the voice, looking up to see the face in front of me.

"That must be quite a book. I haven't seen someone so invested in a story in all my life. A lady came in, spilled her drink, slipped in it, burst into tears, yelled at the barista, burst into tears again after being given a free drink, then left while sobbing. You sat there the entire time quiet, calm, and peaceful. It _must_ be quite a book to have enraptured you so intently." The man said. It took me moments to process what he was saying because his voice had taken the breath from my lungs. I had never heard a man speak so smoothly, deeply, and richly in my entire life.

Looking up, I realized he was the man who had come in from the rain. He was standing in front of me having moved from the chair across the way. I locked with his blue-green eyes, attempting not to swoon from the piercing gaze that he focused on me. This man was perfection. From the look of confidence in his eye, to the gentle curl of his smile he was the epitome of a dream. Taking a deep breath, I carefully planned my next words. Otherwise, I may have drooled or babbled. I started speaking slowly.

"It's, uh, one of my favorites." Bookmarking the page, I handed it to him. He eyes scanned the title as the took it from my hand. "I've read it so many times, yet it always breaks my heart."

"A lady like you shouldn't have her heartbroken so often." He said with a deep chuckle before scanning the cover of the offending novel. "Me Before You," the man mumbled thoughtfully, "I've heard talk of this one recently. Movie adaptations in the works, if I'm not mistaken."

"I believe so. I'm not getting my hopes up, but I will see it. Movies never match the quality of a well written book." Speaking as he turned the book over in his hands, I watched him as he flipped through the pages. My mind recognized something about him as I studied his face, but I couldn't quite place him. The lights in the coffee shop were dim and the bleak weather outside didn't help, so I couldn't get the best view of him.

"Ah, smart girl." He said with a smile that sent my heart a flutter.

"Well, as a teacher I have made it my job to educate the youth of America to agree with me." I bit the corner of my lip, wanting to initiate more conversation so I could identify why this stranger was so familiar to me.

"An educator. A very noble career choice. What do you teach?" He asked while he sat in the chair in front of me. As he lowered into the chair I got a better look at his face, and as I did my breath escaped me for the second time in only a few moments. I had seen that face before. I had seen that face recently. It had been smaller and a bit more pixelated, but it had definitely made an impression.

This was Sherlock. This was Benedict Cumberbatch. This was the man that I was discussing only nights before with your best friend. Now here he was in person. He was in front of me and 12x more attractive than he had been on a screen, and he had been pretty damn attractive before.

"I uh, um." Stuttering and trying to regain my composure, I focused on not become a raging fangirl. "Uh… I teach 5th grade in the states. I have no clue what grade that is here. I actually have no clue how the British Education system and the American Education system relate in any way. That is probably something I should know, but alas, I do not." I rambled.

"Alas?" Benedict said with a smirk. "I'm not sure if I have heard that used in normal conversation… ever."

"I am not a normal conversationalist." I replied, with my own smirk. Benedict replied with a deep, glorious, warm laugh.

"I'm Ben." He said, extending a hand.

"I'm Maggie." I said, reaching out and grabbing his hand before me. The embrace was warm. His hand, much bigger than mine, squeezed my fingers gently. My stomach flipped and I realized I had stopped breathing. I tried to recover without looking like a complete idiot, but I could feel a warm blush spreading across my cheeks.

"So, Maggie, what brings you to London?" Benedict said stretching his legs out in front of him and settling into the chair.

"I'm here with my sister and best friend to celebrate my sister graduating from college. We spent the last 5 days in Paris and got into London late last night. We have 4 more days in London." I responded, trying to focus on his eyes, when what I really wanted to do was ogle and take in his entire body.

Benedict's eyebrows raised and looked around the coffee shop. His sea-colored eyes landed back on mine. "Where are they? Seems odd that you are alone your first night in London."

"Paris was more the 'girls' part of the trip." I answered, "My sister's boyfriend has been interning in London the past 5 months. They haven't seen much of each other and are currently making up for lost time."

"Ah, young love." Benedict said with a smile, "And the best friend?"

"My best friend is off captivating the hearts of London men. Well, just one. And actually, I'm not really sure where he was from… his accent was a bit thicker than yours." I paused, realizing I was slightly rambling. I explained, "Our waiter at lunch hit on her."

"Leaving you all alone. That a very unfortunate way to spend your first night in London!"

"Not so bad. I wanted to come here. I saw it when we ate lunch and knew I had to come. It has been everything I wanted it to be. In my opinion, there is no better place in the world than a cozy coffee shop." As I spoke, I watched Benedict's reactions. I was so captivated by the way the skin around his eyes crinkled when he smiled. I was enthralled by the way one side of his mouth seemed to smile slightly bigger than the other. I adored the way his hands touched his face as he listened intensely.

"Again, proving yourself to be a very intelligent woman. I couldn't agree more. However, I just can't, in good conscious, allow you to spend your first evening in London alone in a coffee shop. There is too much to see, and too much to experience." His eyes lit up and he sprung out of his seat. "We are going." He reached a hand out to me. "I am going to show you my favorite place in London. I promise you'll enjoy it."

I was in shock. He wanted to take me somewhere. Benedict Cumberbatch wanted to show me his favorite place in London. I couldn't believe it. I was trying to deal with the shock. Trying to process all the insane emotions going off in my head.

"Trust me?" I looked up into his piercing, captivating eyes and knew that there was no place in the world I would rather be. I slid my hand into his, standing up out of the chair.

"Let's go." I said smiling back to him. He gave my hand a squeeze, and with a smile he led me out of the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: These Are A Few of My Favorite Things**

Before I knew it Benedict had whisked me out of _Lucille's_ and into a cab.

"This is crazy." I said. I had actually meant to say it in my head, but it popped out of my mouth. Apparently, being around Benedict had caused my brain to stop functioning correctly.

"What's life without a little crazy?' Benedict said giving me that eye crinkling smile that made my heart feel like it was going to exit my body.

"I never do things like this. I never get into cabs with random men who don't tell me where they are taking me." I turned my body so that I was looking at him. Our knees were touching, and I could feel the heat from his leg on mine.

"But alas, you did today." He smirked. "London has made you a wild woman."

I laughed. I laughed a slightly loud, obnoxious laugh. _What was wrong with me?_ I thought. I literally felt like I wasn't in control of what I was doing. It was like it was taking all of my power to control my thought process so the rest of my body was going to hell. I coughed. "I, uh, see what you did there."

"I plan on making 'alas' a part of my everyday vocabulary." He said.

"That might be tricky. 'Alas' situations don't occur as often as you think." I said

"Ah, a challenge. It will keep me on my toes." I laughed again. I'm not even sure if what he said was that funny, but I was struggling to not look like a complete loon. We rode along in the car as Benedict gave me the moving tour of London. He would point out all of the different buildings and tell me what he felt I needed to know about them. There was something about the way he was talking, the way he was being so incredibly… normal, that started to put me at ease. He was so warm when he spoke, that it made me feel as if I was the only person in the world.

"And we are here." He said as the cab came to a slow halt. I opened my door and looked at the site in front of me. When Benedict got out of the car, he opened an umbrella and motioned for me to join him underneath. He pulled it low over us, hiding us from the world.

I walked next to him quickly trying to follow, having to take 2-3 steps for his every 1 to keep up. We were walking in stride, heading towards an area that looked like a garden. The sun was slowly setting, leaving the sky to be a beautiful marbled painting of pink, yellow, and orange.

"This is my favorite place." He said staring forward as I came up behind him, "Kensington Gardens."

I stood in awe of the garden before me. I'm not sure if it was the sunset, or the garden, or the man next to me, but I was sure that this view was the most beautiful I had ever seen in my life. "Wow," I said quietly.

"This is the most beautiful time of day. I try to come out whenever I can. It's usually best when it's raining. Not as many people around, so you can truly enjoy it." I could visually see his body relax, enjoying this moment. "Ready to explore?" He said, extending to me his bent arm. It took all my control not to squeal as I slipped my arm around his. The smile on my face could have probably been seen all the the way back home as we started our adventure through the gardens.

* * *

We strolled through the garden for some time, taking in the beautiful view as the sun dipped slowly below the horizon. I found that nothing brought me more joy than the sound of Benedict's laugh. Starting deep in his chest, it came out rich and smooth like a sweet caramel. My focus became making him laugh in anyway possible, just so I could hear it over and over again.

Soon we walked into a different part of the of the gardens. I found myself having deja vu.

"This place… I've seen it before." I said with a furrowed brow, trying to piece together my memory.

"I thought you said you'd never been to London before?" Benedict said questioningly.

I smiled. "I haven't, silly. I meant, I've seen this place in a movie bef…" Suddenly it came to me. "Oh, no…" A pinkish blush spread across my cheeks.

"That is quite a face! What is it?" Benedict questioned with intrigue.

"I had a very embarrassing movie obsession when I was young and I'm pretty sure there was a scene from the movie filmed here." I realized, though, from this connection what was close. "Oh my gosh." I unhooked my arm from Benedict's and started walking quicker in the direction we had been heading.

"What is going on? Where are you going?" When Benedict had caught up with me, I was stopped in front of a statue. "Ah, the Peter Pan statue."

I stood breathless in front of this statue. "I remember watching this Mary-Kate and Ashley movie," I looked over my shoulder to see Benedict smirk. "Yes, I know I'm ridiculous. But there was this scene in the movie with the Peter Pan statue and I remember thinking to myself, I was going to come here. Some way, some how… I was going to get here. I had completely forgotten about that."

"That's quite a story." Benedict said smiling.

"I know it's silly but to 10 year old Maggie, this was the ultimate place of dreams, hope, and romance." I sheepishly admitted.

"Romance?" Benedict said stepping closer.

"Yes. Don't judge, but my favorite moment of the movie is when the boy and the girl are here at the statue and she asks him if he would want to go to Neverland. He responded 'only if you would go with me.' I remember swooning. Obviously, I was quite the hopeless romantic at ten." Benedict laughed his incredibly glorious laugh.

"You are a woman unlike one I have ever met before." He spoke as he took a closer step to me quickly covering the distance between us.

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" I spoke at barely a whisper, looking into his alluring eyes. He leaned forward so that his mouth was against my ear. It was so close that I could feel his breath on my skin. A shiver ran through my body, my knees felt weak. _How is this happening?_ I kept thinking to myself.

"It's a wonderful thing." He said. My heart was beating out of my chest. I bit down on my lip. Here I was, standing only centimeters away from Benedict Cumberbatch. Gently, his hand curved around my waist, landing on the base of my back. He gently pulled me closer to him, his body covering the front of mine. "A very wonderful thing."

Next thing I knew, his lips were pressing against mine. They were soft, much softer than I had imagined. My mind was racing, I was unable to make coherent thoughts. Heck, I was hardly able to breathe. I felt like my senses were overloaded and I couldn't focus on the actual event occurring at this moment in my life.

"Is everything okay?" Benedict said, pulling away and studying my face.

"Yes." I said, almost choking over my words. "More than ok. Amazing, incredible. I'd give you more words but I honestly can't think clearly."

"You weren't kissing me back." He said, lips against mine.

"I promise, that won't happen this time." Finishing my words, I pressed my lips against his, this time kissing him with a fervor that would usually be reserved for a man going off to war. My hands found their way into the dark curls at the base of his neck. His arms wrapped around me, pulling us as close to each other as humanly possible.

There was no place in the world I would have prefered to be. No person in the world I would have wanted to be with. No event that could have pulled me away from the most amazing kiss of my life. If I could have relived one moment of my life over and over again- it would have been that one.

* * *

We stood in the garden kissing for what seemed like a lifetime. However, when he pulled away it felt like it hadn't been near long enough.

"Kissing strange men in strange gardens. London has truly turned you into a madwoman." This time it was my turn to laugh, leaning close into his body.

"I'm fairly sure this is the best decision I've made in the longest time. Strange man, strange cabs, strange gardens… all wise in my opinion." He kissed me again, taking the breath from my lungs and melting me into his arms again. We continued kissing, his hand traveling down my back. The lower it got, the more my body shivered under his touch. I had never felt so electric in my life, so alive. My body almost felt like it was vibrating with energy.

It was at that moment that I realized the vibrating had nothing to do with the kiss, and a lot more to do with my cell phone that was actually vibrating in my pocket. I pulled away from Benedict.

"I'm so sorry. I probably need to get this." Speaking more to convince myself than him, I placed my hand on his chest as the other pulled out my cell phone. "Hello?"

"Where the hell are you?" Jantel said bitterly into the phone.

"What?" I pulled my face away from the screen to check the time.

 _9:30_

"Here I was feeling guilty about ditching you, so I rush my date trying to get back to my poor, lonely best friend and you aren't even HERE! I thought 'maybe she went to get food and will be back soon.' However, It's now going on an hour that I've been here and you are NOT! You better have an awesome excuse for worrying me to death." Her voice sounded so agitated on the phone that I could only imagine how her face looked.

"Jantel, you won't even believe me if I tell you." I said, smirking up at Benedict as he smiled.

"Try me." She replied sternly.

"I'll be back to the hotel before long, but I promise you… I'm having the best evening of my life and I am completely safe. I'll see you in a bit." Not giving her a chance to argue back, I snapped the phone closed. There was no way I was going to waste a moment of this time, a moment of Benedict's arms around me. I knew that this was not going to last much longer- his momentary lapse of judgement would return. He would realized that I was an average American girl, and him, a British God and this would be a moment only to be remembered and frequently relieved by me.

"You miss curfew?" Benedict said giving me his adorable lopsided smile.

"Well, apparently she thought I'd disappeared." I responded dramatically.

"I guess we should get out of here. I believe the park closed at 9:30." Benedict said, pulling my arm around his and beginning to walk forward. It was quiet between the two of us. Only the sound of the world going on around us. As we neared the location where we had first arrived at the park Benedict paused and turned to look at me. "Can I see you tomorrow?"

Completely surprised, I paused to look up at him. I had just assumed that this night was a one time thing. He was obviously drunk or high which is why he had kissed me. He wanted to see me again? Was he sure? Was he confusing me for someone else? All these thoughts flew around my head for what felt like forever, when suddenly one word flew out my mouth. "Why?"

Benedict laughed. "Not the answer I was expecting." He said pressing his lips together and raising his eyebrow at me.

"I just don't understand." I said bluntly, looking into his eyes that never seemed to stay the same color.

"What's to understand? I find you interesting and I'd like to see you again." He matter-of-factly responded.

"But- bu-" Stammering over my words, I tried to string together a series of words that would actually make sense. "You are you, and I am me. I'm a teacher and you… you are Sherlock!"

"I was wondering if you knew." His response seemed to reveal either relief or disappointment. "Anyways, what I do is not any more interesting than teaching. It's a bit more glamorous, but I'm sure you have better stories." His words quickly shut me up. "So, do you want to see me again or not?"

"Yes..." I said, still in shock.

"Yes, you want to see me tomorrow?" He said, stepping closer and taking my face into his hands.

"Of course I do." I said, finally with some sort of confidence. He gave me that beautiful lopsided smile and leaned down. As his lips brushed against mine and we kissed for the 4th time this evening, I could feel him laughing into my mouth. A deep, low chuckle that I could feel all the way to my toes. He slid his arm around me and we got closer to the road. He went to call a cab, but his body hesitated briefly.

"Mind if I keep you out a bit longer?" He said. Eagerly, I nodded. I was pretty sure he could have asked me to rob a bank and my response would have stayed the same. He waved the cab away, placed his hand on my waist again, and we walked down the cool, London road.

"Now tell me…" He started.

"Yes?"

"Everything else I need to know about Maggie." I laughed as the words came out of his mouth.

"That might take awhile."

"Other than a date with a beautiful woman tomorrow, I'm pretty sure I having nothing but time." He said. Beaming, I began to speak. I told him about my family, my job, my childhood. We walked into the night and exchanged story after story. He told me about his life and we shared the winding tales of our lives as we walked the roads in front of us. Eventually he asked where my hotel was and we began walking in that direction. Before long we were in front of the brightly lit hotel.

"So tomorrow?" He said, grabbing my hand. "I'll come back here around six? Take you on a proper date."

"Sounds like a plan." Leaning forward, I kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Until tomorrow then." With a smile, he turned and got into a cab leaving me breathless in front of the hotel. Once I was sure he was out of earshot, I squealed. I squealed like I was a 12 year old at a One Direction concert. I raced into the hotel, sprinting to the lift. The button could have broken from how hard I pushed it. Once the doors opened, I quickly stepped in and leaned against the wall.

I had kissed Benedict Cumberbatch. I had heard his whole life story. I WAS GOING ON A DATE WITH BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH. I squealed again, barely able to contain myself. The buzzing of my cellphone broke me from my trace of delirious excitement so I pulled my phone out.

11:26.

Oh man… Jantel was going to kill me. Willing the elevator to go faster I pressed the button to my floor over and over again. Finally I arrived. Sheepishly I slid my room card and opened the door to find Jantel and Beth sitting on the bed across from the door looking at me. Their hands were crossed over their chests and their faces were stern.

"What the damn hell have you been up to?" Jantel said. I couldn't help but giggle.

"This isn't a giggling matter!" Beth screeched. "This is a serious matter. Do you know what time it is? Do you realize how worried we've been?"

"You hung up on me! You've never done that! I thought you were being kidnapped or brainwashed and they forced you to hang up on me, but no. You walk in here giggling with a skip in your step! I've been worried sick!" Jantel spoke dramatically, accentuating every word with grand gestures.

"Oh calm down. You didn't call the police, so apparently you weren't that worried. Besides, I'm fine. There is no need to worry." Grabbing my pjs, I slipped into the bathroom to quickly change as I calmly reassured him. When I walked out of the bathroom they were still sitting still, watching me like two Hawks stalking a meal.

"We are waiting for an explanation." Beth said firmly. There was no getting out of this situation, I realized, without spilling all the juicy details. Being honest with myself, I was secretly glad because it was all I wanted to talk about.

"So I met someone." I spoke slowly, watching their reactions change.

"A man?" Jantel questioned.

"No, a parrot." I said with a roll of my eyes. "Of course I mean a man!" Never have two people so speedily changed their emotions. Beth squealed and patted the bed for me to join them.

"Who is he? What did you do? Oh my gosh, tell us everything!" Beth said in an octave higher than her normal speaking voice.

"You aren't going to believe me." Plopping on the bed next to them, I gave them a serious face. "But I swear I'm telling the truth."

"Okay…" Jantel said puzzled.

"I met, kissed, and have a date with Benedict Cumberbatch." Silence. Their mouths were agape.

"Sherlock?" Beth finally whispered, as if she couldn't speak it aloud. I nodded, a smile splitting my face in half.

"Oh my gosh! We were just talking about him! I said he was your type." Jantel squealed.

"Apparently you were right." I responded followed by a laugh.

"Tell us everything, and don't you leave out a single, glorious detail." My best friend and sister became my captive audience as I described in detail the dream evening I'd had. By the end of the story they had squealed and 'oh my gosh'ed more times than I could count.

"And we have a date for tomorrow. Can you believe it? It's like a dream!" I squealed, laying back on the bed in disbelief.

There was a pause, then both girls started talking at once.

"We need to get-"

"What are you going to-"

Jantel held her hand up, pausing Beth. "T-Minus 18ish hours until the CumberDate. Beth, we have a lot to do." They started talking a mile a minutes, planning all the things we needed to do to prepare for the date.

I closed my eyes, still laying on the bed. My mind was reeling, trying to process all the events that had just occurred. There were some moments in life that you just know are going to change everything. As I laid back, breathing deeply and snuggling into the soft bed, I realized that this was one of those moments.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Countdown**

"What the hell? You're in London for less than 24 hours and you meet a celebrity. I've been in London for 6 months and I haven't seen anyone who even looks like they could be famous." Mark grumbled as we walked down the London side street. I laughed, entertained by his frustration.

"I can't help that London likes me better than you." I shrugged in Mark's direction, teasing him. Mark had been giving us the tour of London since early that afternoon. He was a wonderful guide, but I couldn't help thinking how much more I preferred my tour from the night before. We had planned to start our tour early that morning, but Jantel had refused to let him take us anywhere until we have safely secured a dress, shoes, and knew what my hairstyle was going to be for the evening. She had spent the whole morning counting down to the "CumberDate," as she had started to call it. I was pretty sure she was as, if not more, excited as I was.

"4-hours until the CumberDate!" Jantel said in a sing-song voice. "We are going to have to wrap this whole tour thing up in the next hour."

"It will take her 3 hours to get ready? What are you all going to do, put makeup on her from head to toe? Sew her a dress by hand?" His sarcastic tone wouldn't have been missed from miles around. Jantel shot him a look that quickly made him shut up. The one thing that everyone knows about Jantel, it's you don't mess with her. Mark, however, loved to test her limits. Before he could open his mouth, Beth quickly intervened.

"Alright you two. Enough. We are going to enjoy London for the next hour without you all bickering."

We continued walking through the streets of London, occasionally stopping for Mark to point out important places or tell stories from experiences during his time in London. As the minutes creeped towards six, I could feel my stomach tighten into a knot.

I've been a worrier for as long as I can remember. I worried in Kindergarten about whether or not I would fall in a sink hole. I worried in 5th grade about learning my multiplication facts. In middle school I worried that the boy in my P.E. class thought it was me that passed gas during sit-ups even though it was totally my gym partner. I worried in high school about… well everything. As I had gotten older, I had worked hard to keep my excessive worrying to a minimum, but I could feel that ever-so familiar feeling creeping into my stomach.

What if I made a fool of myself tonight? What if he realized how dull and boring I really was? What if it was some British prank show I'd never heard about? One where they took unsuspecting girls and made them think beautiful men were interested in them. What if I said something wrong or insulted him? What if...

"Maggie?" Beth said, bumping her shoulder against mine as we walked. "Why are you so quiet?"

"Thinkin'. That's all!" I replied, trying to sound more positive that I felt.

"I know what she's thinkin about!" Jantel said, laughing behind me.

"Oh shut it!" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Girl, I'd be thinking about it too. All tangled up in his long arms and legs. Mmm… who wouldn't want to be all wrapped up with that." Mark, Beth, and I all spoke at the same time.

"Okk… didn't need to hear that."

"Jantel! We are in public!"

"I am NOT thinking about that." Looking at Jantel, my eyes wide open. "I do not plan on being tangled up with anyone on a first date!" I replied slightly shrieking.

Jantel laughed, thoroughly enjoying our shocked reactions to her outlandish comments. "Technically, it's a second date." She said brashly.

"Still far too early to be tangling!" I responded quickly, slightly horrified.

"I'm teasing! Even though I'd support you 100% if you got in his pants tonight…"

"Alright- my tour is over. You all can go talk about tangling and pants far away from me." Mark quickly interrupted. Jantel laughed and Beth rolled her eyes while Mark began to lead us back to the hotel.

My best friend certainly made life very interesting. Now the real test was going to see if she could get me ready for the biggest date of my life.

* * *

 _Why did we get this dress?_ I thought to myself as I pulled the little black dress over my head. We had gone with it because it looked neither formal nor casual. It was perfectly in between the two so it was appropriate for any kind of date.

Standing in the mirror, I examined myself. My hair was gently curled, half of it up and the other half laying against my shoulders. I toyed with a curl that was laying on my collarbone, biting the side of my lip.

"You look amazing. Stop biting your lip and come out here." Beth called through the closed bathroom. I opened the door with a hand on my hip.

"Damn girl." Jantel said, raising her eyebrows at me. "You may need to worry about _him_ tryin' to tangle with _you."_

"Jantel!" Squealing, I covered my face with my hands.

"Ignore Jantel's craziness. You really do look incredible Mags. He won't know what hit him." Beaming at me, Beth came over to smooth my dress. Jantel ran over to touch up my lipstick, then my eyeshadow. They fussed over me for a few minutes, until finally, Jantel stood back and linked arms with Beth.

"Our masterpiece is complete." She said with complete joy and confidence. There was a brief moment of silence while we all looked at each other.

"I feel like I'm going to throw up!" Sitting on the bed, I took a few deep breaths as I tried to calm my nervous stomach. Jantel and Beth flocked to my side.

"It's going to be fine!" Beth reassured. "There is nothing for you to worry about!"

"You have to remember, he was totally into you yesterday. Forget he's anyone but Ben, the smoking hottie who hit on you!" Jantel said rubbing her hand across my back.

"I know, I know." I said, "It's just very hard to forget he's Benedict Cumberbatch."

"Yes, but…" Jantel was interrupted by the ringing of our hotel room phone. Beth ran over to pick it up.

"Hello… Oh, I see!… She will be down in a moment, thank you!" Beth squealed as she got off the phone. "There is a car downstairs waiting for Ms. Maggie Korwin."

* * *

As I walked through the lobby, my stomach felt like it was dragging behind me. Nervous energy jolted through me with every step towards the door. I paused, taking a deep breath. Suddenly the door opened in front of me.

"Hello." A dark, rich voice filled my ears and I couldn't control the smile that spread across my face. Standing next to the open car door in front of me was Benedict looking, if possible, even more amazing and handsome than he had the night before.

"Hi there!" I said, walking towards the car. When I reached him, I leaned forward kissing him gently on the cheek. He placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me into the car. He followed soon after, sliding into the seat next to me.

"You look absolutely amazing. Just incredible." His eyes looked me up and down. They settled on mine a few seconds later. "Is that too blunt? Should I have waited more than 2 seconds to compliment you?" He says, his face scrunched up with concern.

I laughed. "Thank you. You look pretty great yourself." He gave me that perfect, lopsided smile and it felt like a million butterflies were in my stomach.

"So, where are we going?" I asked.

"It's a secret." Benedict said, a childlike excitement settling on his face.

"A secret?" My eyebrows raised, giving him a suspicious look.

"Yes Ma'am. Just trust me." He said with a smirk.

"You say that a lot." He laughed at my response, placing his hand on my bare knee giving me cold chills from my head to my toes. His thumb gently made circles on my knee, and I watched, mesmerized by his long fingers, his strong hands and how warm they felt on my leg. His touch made every fiber of my being feel alive. He leaned in closer to me, so that his mouth was inches away from my ear.

"It worked out well last time, don't you agree?" His deep voice echoed in my ear, my heart skipping a beat as I replayed the night before in my mind. I bit down on my lip, the edges of my lips curving into a smile gently.

As we drove along, he told me about the new script he was reading and I told him about the tour Mark had given earlier in the day. I realized that I had been so enthralled by what Benedict was saying that I has absolutely no clue where we had gone. The car slowly came to a stop.

"Uh, Benedict?" I said as we came to a stop and he stepped out of the car.

"Just trust me." His heart stopping smile came into view as he reached a hand into the car. Slipping my hand into his, I stepped out of the car. We walked towards the dark building, but I soon saw a person opening a door that we soon walked into to.

"Hello Mr. Cumberbatch." The person said as the door closed behind us.

"Where are we?" I asked, trying to take in the the strange surroundings behind me.

"Well, Ms. Korwin, you mentioned that last night that there was one thing in London that you wanted to do, but you couldn't convince your sister to join you. I pulled a few strings and we now have a private Harry Potter Studio Tour." A smile spread across his face as he spoke the last few words.

"You are joking!" I said aghast.

"This is not a joking matter." He replied, then pointed to the wall behind me. I turned, and there was the huge door leading to the Great Hall.

"How in the world?" My jaw hung open in shock, I couldn't believe this is what he had planned.

"A friend owed me a favor." As he spoke, a young man stepped out from behind the door.

"Hello, I am your personal tour guide. Are you ready to start your tour?"

* * *

"I'm a little embarrassed you got a very personal view of my nerdy side on the second date. That should be more like a 5th/6th date kind of thing." I said as we walked out of the studio, heading back towards the car.

"Well, you will just have to think of something else to reveal to me on the 5th date." Benedict said giving my hand a gentle squeeze. Towards the end of our tour the guide had left us alone to look at some of the items on display. Benedict had grabbed my hand, guiding me to a certain prop he wanted to show me. However, once we had reached his desired location, instead of letting go, he had laced his fingers through mine. When his long fingers first wrapped around mine, I was pretty sure I was going to drop dead at that moment. His hands were cool, but soon heated up as they gripped mine. My hand looked so small in his, his slender fingers so much longer than my own. We spent the rest of the time like that, walking around and discussing what we were seeing.

My mind suddenly transitioned back into the present as we slid back into the cool back seat of the car we had left earlier in the evening.

"So, you think there is going to be a 5th date?" My cheeks could barely contain my smile as I responded to his earlier comment.

"I'd like to think so. Given that you have revealed your nerdy side, as you say, so quickly I am definitely thinking you won't say no to my request for a third date." He said with a smirk.

"You sound quite confident." I knew he was right, but I couldn't resist the urge to tease him a bit.

"Oh, not at all. A beautiful woman like you must have many offers." His fingers trailed up my arm as absentmindedly as he spoke, making cold chills travel up my spine.

"Ha." A laugh was the only sound I could muster as his light touch made my head spin.

"Alas, my request has still not been accepted." He said with a chuckle low into my ear, causing my heart to race. Another half laugh escaped my lips.

"For a third date? I didn't know you were actually asking." I turned to look into his eyes, finding myself drawn into their light, ever changing color.

"Well, I am. Tomorrow, let me give you my tour of London. What do you say?" How was this real life? He wanted to see me again? He wanted to spend the day touring London with me? My mind was reeling, trying to deal with the shock to my system.

"Of course." I responded quickly, then realized a slight problem. With a frown I said, "Well, I'm not sure Jantel and Beth will appreciate me ditching them again."

"It can be all of us. I'd like to meet them." Smiling, I squeezed his hand.

"Sounds wonderful." I leaned over to place a kiss on his cheek. He turned so that my lips made contact with his, sharing a light kiss between us. Neither of us pulled away, our faces lingering centimeters away from each other. He leaned forward to kiss me again, this time more forcefully. His hand slid into my hair, gripping the back of my head lightly.

I closed my eyes, leaning into his kiss. His mouth felt like it fit perfectly on mine. Kissing his felt so natural, so right- like nothing in the world around us mattered at all. The kisses came more intensely, more passionately, quicker in speed. I was so thankful that the divider between us and the driver was up. His hand slipped around my waist, and mine slid up to his neck pulling our heads closer together. The breaths we took became quicker, more urgent, like we didn't want to spend one moment not kissing. His grip on me became tighter as our bodies became closer and closer.

I didn't realize that the car had stopped until suddenly the door opened behind me. The sound of a forced cough filled my ears and I jumped away from Benedict.

"I guess we are at the hotel." Benedict said, clearing his throat. His face was slightly flushed, and I took great joy in seeing him slightly frazzled. If possible, he looked even better this way. "Let me walk you up to your room, I can go on and meet Jantel and Beth and make sure they are okay with our plans tomorrow." I nodded, sliding out of the car seat.

Benedict slid out behind me, grabbing my hand as we walked into the hotels open door. As we walked through the lobby, I saw the looks and nudges the people around us. It was easy to forget that Benedict was famous when we were alone. I appreciated that our dates thus far had been intimate and alone, but it was slightly shocking to be back in public where people recognized him.

Benedict obviously noticed the stares because he quickly whisked us away to the elevator. He pressed the button and the doors opened quickly. Pulling me inside, he pressed the button to close the door rapidly. Once they closed, his arms were around my waist. He kissed me again, this time slow and strong. His fingertips pressed gently into my skin.

He had to stop kissing me like this. Kissing me in a way that took command of all my senses and made my mind stop working correctly. It felt dangerous, like I wasn't in control anymore. This man in front of me made me feel powerful, yet fragile all at the same time. A strong desire consumed my body as I held onto him tighter. I just wanted more. More of him, more of his touch, his kiss, his everything.

Luckily, before I could go absolutely crazy the door opened and Benedict pulled away from me. However, he did not step out of the elevator. His hand went to my cheek.

"Kissing you is one of the most thrilling things I've done." He smiled, placing a gentle kiss on my lips again. His hands fell from my waist as he went to catch the elevator door before it could close on us. I stepped out, grabbing his hand and leading him to my room.

Before we entered I stopped, placed my hands on his chest, and looked up at him. "Thank you for an amazing night." I said smiling. He smiled back. I stepped away and knocked on the door.

Jantel opened it "How was…" she stopped once she saw Benedict standing next to me. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Um, hello." she said an octave higher than her normal voice. Benedict and I stepped into the room.

"Hello, I'm Benedict. You can call me Ben." He said, sticking a hand out to Jantel. "You must be Jantel. I've heard a lot about you."

"Yes. Me. Heard. Yes." She said, half shaking his hand in disbelief. "Uh, excuse me. Sorry. It's, uh, really nice to meet you." Jantel finally regained her composure. "Beth, you need to come meet someone."

Beth bounced into the room and I saw her face freeze. A huge smile spread across her cheeks. "Benedict, hello!" Cheerily, she walked up to him. "I'm Beth, Maggie's sister. It is so nice to meet you!" Benedict smiled, and shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you as well. I wanted to walked Maggie up to make sure I returned her safely to you. I also wanted to ask if you all minded spending the day with me tomorrow?" I watched in awe as he charmed my sister and best friend.

"I don't think we have too much going on tomorrow. What do you have in mind?" Jantel said, her spunky attitude finally returning.

"Showing you around London, making you all dinner at my apartment. Nothing too elaborate. I just want to get to know you all. Also Beth, please bring Mark along." I watched as Benedict spoke and the girls listened. I knew they wanted to squeal, but I was incredibly impressed by their composure.

"That sounds great." Beth said, flashing a cheesy smile Benedict's directions.

"How about we meet at Lucille's in the morning? Around 10?" He said and we all nodded in agreement. "Wonderful. I'll see you all in the morning." The lopsided smile returned to his face as he turned to leave. He stopped, grabbed my hand and kissed it softly. "Until tomorrow."


End file.
